Bramhall, UK -- With many employees travelling by train, bike or bus to work or on business, Manchester-based Axion Consulting has literally taken a ‘green journey’ to secure ISO14001:2004 certification.

The resource recovery specialist achieved ISO 14001:2004, an internationally-accepted standard for an effective Environmental Management System (EMS), following successful completion of the assessment process at its Bramhall offices.

According to Axion, favouring public transport or sheer legwork over car use shows they are fully embracing the ‘spirit’ of the certification, designed to address the delicate balance between business operations and reducing environmental impact.

“We think we have higher than average use of train travel per employee than most companies; it shows we are ‘really doing it’ and not simply getting a certificate to prove our environmental credentials,” states Director Keith Freegard, who travels around 20,000 miles each year by train, including from his London home to Axion’s Manchester sites.

Axion calculates his train journeys, based on one person travelling on a busy train, save 90% of carbon emissions compared to going by car. Over the course of a year, train travel generates 720 kg CO2 versus 7,170 kg CO2 for an average car.

Rail travel is far more more sustainable and time-efficient, Keith points out, citing recent business trips to Paris and Dusseldorf by train: “It’s much better than five hours wasted getting through airports; I did six hours of useful work on the train, had a meal and a drink as well,” says Keith, whose fellow Director Roger Morton is another frequent train user.

Axion Consulting Consultant Hannah Burke, who spearheaded the year-long process and rides her bike to work every day, comments: “I always cycle to the station or across the city to meetings. It’s practical, sustainable, saves money and keeps me fit. Sustainable travel options are an on-going focus for us.”

Using public transport where practicable, switching off printers and PCs when not needed and a hierarchy for business travel are further procedures that have been formalised under the EMS. Axion established its baseline environmental impact, such as waste levels and energy usage, before the implementation of procedures and staff training.

Hannah adds: “Due to the nature of our work, we already had a strong environmental policy in place, fully supported by our management team and staff. ISO 14001:2004 certification is official recognition of our environmental credentials and publicly demonstrates our commitment to continual environmental improvement.

“Having secured this certification, our clients can be confident that we comply with all environmental legislation. It reinforces our commitment to on-going improvement. New operating procedures were picked up quickly and staff will be encouraged to contribute ideas on how we can strive to improve our environmental performance,” she added.

Axion Consulting is part of the Axion Group that develops and operates innovative resource recovery and processing solutions for recycling waste materials. The Group works with a wide range of clients, from Government agencies and local authorities to companies in diverse commercial sectors, on the practical development of new processing and collection methods to recover value from waste resources.

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